PANAMA CITY BEACH — Shores of Panama condo owners have asked the court to stop their HOA from leveling an $8.9 million assessment against them for what they say is an unnecessary $80 million renovation.
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The Shores of Panama, a 23-story, 709-unit high-rise built between 2005 and 2007, is shown on May 24. |
"I'm only operating off of engineers' and architects' opinions," McWaters told The News Herald in May.
Through Debbie Ingram,
communications director for Panama City Beach, he declined
to comment Monday.
"(He) is not going to be able to comment on the Shores of
Panama in that a lawsuit has been filed which names a city
employee. Because this is pending litigation, we simply
can’t comment," Ingram said.
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The Shores of Panama boasts "a full-service spa, lagoon style pool, two tiki bars for on-site dining and drinks, and exhilarating water sports and beachfront activities to keep you entertained," according to its website. |
The HOA Board of Directors wants owners
to pay for the $80 million renovation that insurance won't
cover, Matthews said. Some of the work has begun and the
special assessment the board wants owners to pay is expected
to cover it.
But residents have estimates from their own Florida-licensed
structural engineers, building consultants and roofing
contractors with a bill totaling less than $50,000, Matthews
said.
HOA vs. homeowners
The seven-member HOA board has dwindled to three, none of
whom could not be reached for comment the past two weeks.
Last year the board noted concerns about the building,
announcing in December that board members had chosen a
general contractor to oversee a roofing project and entire
renovation and that insurance would not cover it.
In February, McWaters in a letter told the HOA it had 30
days to initiate a safety plan "to mitigate dangerous
conditions." Those conditions were listed as "cracked
anti-lever beams, rusted metal framing and loose and
detaching stucco."
On June 7, the board approved the special assessment against
the owners.
Court paperwork filed by the attorneys insists the work the
HOA board wants completed is "overpriced, unnecessary and
overkill."
Thus, the homeowners are seeking the temporary injunction,
"until the court can hear all the evidence to determine
whether any of this needs to be done," Matthews said.
In the meantime, construction workers already have cut
pieces of stucco from the building exterior, damaging "the
waterproofing membrane" of the structure, Matthews said.